Giving Thanks!

Working through 2 Thessalonians Chapter 3, thanking God for the many things He reveals to us in His Word that are worthy of our gratitude.

Thank You Lord for:

(vs 6) Instruction that helps us see what is healthy and what is not, from Your perspective, so that we may walk in step with Your Spirit. Thank You! 

(vs 7) Faithful believers we can imitate, those who have gone before us whose lives were powerful testimonies of Your almighty power and redeeming grace - the same power and grace that is alive and working in us. Thank You! 

(vs 13) Strength to not grow weary in doing good. While we live in a world that wants to wear us down, Your work in us is continuous and steadfast.Thank You! 

(vs 16) Peace that we are no longer enemies of the God who is above all gods, that we have entered into reconciliation with You, and now the struggles of this world are but for a moment compared to our eternal relationship with You. Thank You! 

(vs 18) Grace that You pour out on us, Your undeserved favor that blesses us beyond measure, made possible by the blood of Your Son. Thank You! 

Lord, help us to be acutely aware of the many things we ought to be thanking You for. Don't allow us to gloss over them, but instead let us plumb the depths of who You are, that we could enjoy all of You, in all of Your glory! 

Giving Thanks!

Thanksgiving 2016 has come and gone, but the promises and blessings of God remain forever. Continuing to work through 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 3 now, with an emphasis on things God has revealed to us that we can be thankful for.

Thank You, Lord, for:

(vs 1) Your Word that You have so lovingly preserved for us. It sets us free as we abide in it; revealing the Truth about who You are in all of Your glory. Thank You!

(vs 2) Deliverance from wicked and evil men. In this life there are many who oppose the very thing we live for; giving our lives over to You. You have the power and the desire to deliver us from any and all who oppose us, and You will! Thank You!

(vs 3) Your faithfulness that never waivers, even for a second. When we prove to be unreliable, You prove to be perfectly trustworthy and reliable. Thank You!

(vs 3) Establishing and guarding us against the evil one. His goal is to destroy us in an effort to diminish Your glory. For Your Name's sake, remind us daily that through the victory at the cross, this evil one has already been defeated. You have conquered Him, and now guard Your children from Him. Thank You!

(vs 4) Confidence that You will continue bring about the obedience of faith in each one of us as You faithfully complete the work You have started. Thank You! 

(vs 5) Directing our hearts to Your love. You poured out Your love on us through Jesus, and now continue to shower us with Your love as You draw us near to You. When our hearts are distracted, You faithfully direct us to You. Thank You! 

(vs 5) The steadfastness of Christ, our Savior. He is was steadfast in laying down His life for us, and is steadfast in His love for us always. He will not waiver as our Savior, so we can fully trust in Him alone to redeem us. Thank You! 

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

1 Thess 5:18

Happy Thanksgiving!

Continuing to work through 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 with a spirit of thanksgiving as we reflect on the many blessings we enjoy through our relationship with our Lord. 

Thank You, Lord, for: 

(vs 13) Our brothers and sisters in Christ, it really is a blessing to enjoy fellowship with those who have also entered into a relationship with You. May we seek to create and grow these relationships always, that You will be glorified. Thank You! 

(vs 13) Your love for us, that we could be called Your beloved. We, who hated you, who wanted nothing more than to be separated from You...can, by Your love, grace, and mercy, enjoy Your blessings as Your beloved, because of what You have done for us. Thank You! 

(vs 13) Choosing to save us, when we were consumed with ourselves You opened the eyes of our hearts to a greater reality, the Truth of the Gospel, and freed us from the bondage of our sin. Thank You! 

(vs 13) Sanctification, You patiently and faithfully work with each one of us personally, to grow us more into the image of Your Son each day. Let us embrace this sanctification, even when it hurts, trusting that it is always for our good and Your glory. Thank You! 

(vs 14) The Gospel that raises dead people to life. The good news, the greatest news, the only news that makes this life worth living. The powerful news that says it is possible for dead sinners to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ through no work of our own. Thank You! 

(vs 15) The strength and ability to stand firm. There is nothing in this world that will remain, everything we interact with that is a product of this earth will eventually go away - don't allow us lean on these things for stability. Help us to lean completely on You, for You never change and always remain. Thank You. 

(vs 16) Your love for us, that moved You to send Your Son to this earth, and His love for us, that moved Him to lay down His life for us, that we might live forever with You. Thank You! 

(vs 16) Eternal comfort that is rooted in us having entered into an eternal relationship with you, realizing we will never, ever receive the just penalty for our sins. It seems unfair that we have been pardoned from what we deserve. Thank You! 

(vs 16) Good hope through grace, that allows us to live in this world with a confident expectation of being in Your presence forever. This hope, this expectation, is not based on a possibility, but a reality that You brought into our lives by grace. Thank You! 

(vs 17) Comforted hearts made possible by realizing that You are all we truly need. The more we know You, the more we trust You, the more we trust You, the more we realize how perfect You are, and how perfectly satisfying You are in every situation. That comforts our hearts. Thank You! 

(vs 17) Your good work in us gives us confidence. When we see You working through the works and words in our life that testify to the transforming power of Christ in our lives, we realize these are not things we are mustering up from our own goodness, but are the effects of Your Spirit that lives within us. It gives us courage to be bold for the Gospel. Thank You! 

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:3

Giving Thanks!

Continuing to work through 2 Thessalonians with an emphasis on what God has revealed to us that we can be thanking Him for. We are in Chapter 2 today. 

Thank You Lord for: 

(vs 1) Your promise that we will one day be gathered together with Christ, all who have trusted in Him as our Savior. In Him alone we have placed our faith, and we look forward to the day that He comes again. Thank You! 

(vs 2) Your steadfastness that allows us freedom from shaken minds and alarmed emotions, no matter the situation or cause. This is a crazy, unstable world we live in, and Your perfect reliability is trustworthy. Thank You! 

(vs 3) Truth, which by the power of the Spirit allows us to discern deception when it comes knocking. Make us hungry for You and Your Word, that we might exercise this discernment. Thank You!

(vs 6) Your restraining power over the lawless one - we don't have to be anxious about Satan, or the things he is attempting to accomplish. Yes, he and all of his evil work, is under Your authority. Thank You! 


Lord, thank You for uniting us in Christ, thank You for Your promises and for Your steadfastness, we want to trust You with all of our hearts, reveal to us where we that trust is lacking in our lives. We praise You for the power and authority You have over all things, including death and the father of lies himself, let us not be intimidated by that which You have already conquered, but instead let us boast in Christ, cause us to be bold in sharing and defending the Gospel, empowered and compelled by the love of Christ! Thank You Lord! 

Give Thanks!

Continuing to work through 2 Thessalonians, reading God's Word with an emphasis on what God has revealed to us that we can be thanking Him for. 

Thank you Lord, for: 

(vs 5) Righteous judgement, we should never be afraid that You will act in an unjust way, what peace this brings to our souls! Thank You! 

(vs 5) We are considered worthy of your kingdom! Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we have become worthy of something we could never deserve, eternal life. Thank You! 

(vs 5) Our sufferings, that draw us close to you and remind us that we have entered into something beyond this temporary world - Your eternal kingdom! Thank You! 

(vs 7) Relief - You are faithful to grant relief to those who are afflicted for the sake of Your kingdom, help us to be aware of the relief You so lovingly provide, and take refuge in it! Thank You! 

(vs 9) Freedom from eternal destruction, this is what we deserve, and it's what You brought us out of - even when we hated You, Jesus laid down His life for us and absorbed our due penalty, that we could come to know You. Thank You! 

(vs 9) Your eternal presence, help us to realize and remember that we will never, ever know what it's like to be separated from You in all of Your perfect glory. Thank You! 

(vs 10) Your trustworthy promise that Jesus is coming again, to be glorified among His saints, and to be marveled at among all who believe! Because of Your work in us, we anticipate that day. Thank You! 

(vs 10) Testimonies of the many saints who have gone before us, that You use to change the hearts of men. Use our testimonies for Your glory also. Thank You! 

(vs 11) Your work in us through Christ, that makes us worthy of Your calling, that fulfills every resolve for good, and produces every work of faith by Your power...worthiness, good, and works of faith - things we are not able to create but are so blessed to experience because of our relationship with You, made possible by You! Thank You! 

(vs 12) Grace, that all of these things we ought to be thankful for are a part of our lives because You are full of grace. You pour out such beautiful, powerful, amazing things on us we could never earn and never deserve. Let us never take these things for granted, but let us live this life in continuous thankfulness for all that You do - make us aware of the things we do take for granted. 



Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we are blessed when we reflect on the many, many things God deserves our gratitude and praise for. Don't let our lives get so busy, so distracting, that we miss the depths of His work in us and through us, but instead desire to plumb the depths of your relationship with Him, experience the vast power of what He has done, is doing, and will do - 

"...so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Give Thanks!

I'm going to spend the next several days working through 2 Thessalonians, noting the many things God reveals that we can give Him thanks for. Care to join? I'd love to read/hear how you are praising our God! 

2 Thessalonians Chapter 1 vs 1-4 

Thank you God for: 

- (vs 1) The many people You have called and worked through over the years to bless and grow Your church, including these men mentioned, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. 

- (vs 1) The many local churches You have established that provide a place where we can grow as Your children, worship You, lift each other up, and become equipped for the work You have prepared for us. 

- (vs 2) The powerful grace and peace that You pour into us through the power of the Spirit every day. 

- (vs 2) Being our Father, adopting us and calling us Your children, so that we may have the undeserved privilege of calling you our loving and perfect Father. 

- (vs 2) Being our Lord, and our Savior, our Messiah - even when we thought we didn't need saving - for being Just and the Justifier. 

- (vs 3) The brothers and sisters in Christ You have placed in each of our lives, that we may all be lifting each other up, encouraging each other, for Your glory. 

- (vs 3) Faith that grows abundantly as we learn to trust You. 

- (vs 3) Love for each other that increases as we draw near to You and each other. 

- (vs 4) Steadfastness and faith that by Your power remains and protects us, regardless of our situation. 

- (vs 4) The many persecutions and afflictions that we endure, that bring our weaknesses to the surface so that we can learn to rely on You, that reveal our selfish desires, so that we can learn to hunger for You, that bring us close to You, where we find true joy and satisfaction. 

Lord, thank You for these things, and the many many more that are not mentioned. Help us to not take them for granted, but to turn to You in praise as we reflect on them, use them to change us, draw us to You with thankful hearts and minds. 

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds." Psalm 9:1

Should Christians boycott Target?

I read an article the other day that stated over 1 million people had signed a petition to boycott Target, and that Targets stock had dropped by 2.5% which represents a corporate loss of about $2.5 billion, according to the article.

So, does that mean we as Christians should celebrate? Does it prove that we should boycott companies when they publicly embrace, or actively pursue an agenda that does not align with our biblical values? Well, I don't have the answer as to whether or not you personally should boycott Target, but I do think we need to be very careful as to why we might want to.

Jesus came to reveal that He was the Son of God, that He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. While we were His enemies, slaves to our flesh, driven by our pursuit of passions and lusts, forever condemned to seek meaning in a meaningless life, and ultimately sentenced to eternal hell, Jesus Christ came and lived a perfect life, taking God's full wrath on the cross for us, and conquering death by rising from it, making forgiveness for our sins and our relationship with God possible. This is the good news we have been given to share with the world around us. The very reason we walk this earth as God's children is to be used by God for His glory...and what brings God more glory than when He works the miracle of regeneration in a lost soul through the power of the Gospel?

Question 1: Does boycotting Target serve to further the message of the Gospel, in your home, in your circles at work or church, and in the broader context of the world around you?

Because we are blood bought children of God, we no longer live to server ourselves. Rather, as Paul put it in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

This means we take on a new identity, our identity is now in Christ. This means our relationship with God, our desire to see Him exalted, and our passion to spread the Gospel, must drive everything that we do. As Christians, we must be very careful not to buy into movements or causes whose purpose is nothing more than to drive home an ideological point, especially through applying pressure or pain. I'm sure there are thousands of people who work at Target who love Christ and are simply trying to make a living. Will this boycott affect them? Probably not, but if it did, would those who partook in it feel like it was a success?

I think it's easy to get caught up in a movement without recognizing the repercussions, or even the impression that is being made. As God's children, we are called to reveal Christ through our selfless love for God and others. This doesn't mean that we embrace sin in our lives, for Christ said if you love me you will obey me, and commanded that we move away from sin and towards righteousness. While we are constantly reminded in the bible to repent and seek God with our lives, He didn't say go out and clean up the sins of those around you in an effort to clean them up.

Question 2: Does boycotting Target reveal your selfless love for God and others?

Finally, I think another danger of getting caught up in a movement without firm conviction of our purpose can cause us to become hypocritical. For example, did you know that Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, and GE are among the many companies that were urging the Supreme Court to legalize gay marriage?

Do we as God's children find pleasure in watching an NFL game on Sunday, even though we know that professional sports ultimately lead to broken families, substance abuse, and usually the sacrifice of an individuals life to something other than Christ?

Have you ever bought an article of clothing because you were pleased with how it made you feel or look, without realizing it may have been made in overseas in unbearable (sometimes deadly) conditions for little pay?

I'm not trying to tell anyone to absolutely not boycott Target. I do believe our lives as God's children must be constantly moving towards God, which includes many times being at odds with the world around us. Jesus promised that would happen. We need to be careful that being at odds with the world doesn't become the cause for our actions, but the result of living by our convictions. If we allow that to be our reasoning, we will take a stand in one area but not another - which may begin to look hypocritical.

Question 3: Does boycotting Target stem from your convictions, and do you consistently live by those convictions in other areas of your life?

You see, we live in a broken world. Choosing to take a stand against the brokenness is a good thing, but we must maintain our focus. Lost souls are in the balance everyday, the Gospel is the only thing that has the power to save them. Identifying/partaking in a movement that does not have the spreading of the Gospel message at its core, that does not stem from selfless love for God and others, and that does not stem from convictions we are willing to hold to in all areas of our life, is dangerous.

Be consumed with love for others, live out the change you want to see, lead by example...and let the glory of God as revealed through the saving of lost souls by the power of His Gospel by your priority in all that you do!

The lost state of many should bother us much more than the social agenda of some. 

By the way, it's hard to share the power of the Gospel if our own lives don't reflect it!

NOTE: I realize there are some that might say the safety issue in the restrooms at Target is the reason for the boycott...to which someone replied "don't use the bathrooms then!'